Slack-adjuster mechanism



Patented Aug. 5, 1924.

gUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.U

`LAIRENCE W. BIEKER, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA, SSIGNOR TO AlVEERICAN FO'UNDRIES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OE NEW JERSEY.

sLAox-ADJusTER MEoHANisM.

Application filed July 3, 1922. Serial No. 572,372.

To all whom t may concern:

V'Be it known that I, LAWRENCE W. Bmxnn, a citizen of theV United States, re-

siding at Hammond, in the county of Lake and Sta-te of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slack-15rdjuster Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates yto slack adjuster mechanism which is adapted for use particularly in connection with brake riggings.

The `object of this invention is to provide slack adjuster mechanism having relatively few parts, all of which are simple, are easily and simply assembled and which cooperate in a manner to meet all oi the requirements for the intended use.

This and other objects are accomplished lby means of the arrangement disclosed on the accompanying` sheet ot drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of an adjuster block with the arms thereof bent inwardly toward each other for facilitating application to anl associated member of the slack adjuster;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of' the block shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of an adjuster jaw showing the method of application of the adjuster block thereto;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the slack adjuster showing the arms of the adjuster block spread outwardly into their normal positions in which their flanges cooperate to guidedly maintain the block in operative position with respect to the jaw; and

- Figure 5 is a sectional view taken in the plane of line 5 5 `of Figure 4f.

The various novel features olf the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the figures ot the drawings, it will be noted that the slack adjuster includes a relatively movable member having a jaw portion 11 in the form of a closed loop having sides 12. An adjuster block 13 is mounted within the jaw portion 11 of the member 10 and has two set-s of iianges 14: and 15 which kembrace the edges of the sides 12 for retaining the adjuster block within the jaw and for guiding the relative movementsr between the jaw member 11 and the. block member 13. A

kReferring particularly to Figures 1 .and`

the block, as shown in Figure 1, are bentinwardly toward each other so that the outer edges 17 thereof extend in the same straight line as the shoulders 18 at the rea-r of the members 13. The arms 16 are bent inwardly in this manner to facilitate the application of the block 13 to the jaw 11, the application being sho-wn particularly in Figure 3, in which it will be noted that the tapering flanges 14 are passed lbetween the sides 12 ot the jaw 11 until the flanges 15 engage the said sides 12, whereupon the arms 16 of the 'block 13 may be spread apart as shown in Figure 4, in which position adjacent sides oi flanges 14 and 15 engage the sides 12 of the jaw 11 for maintaining such parts in the proper cooperative relationship.

After the adjuster block is placed within the jaw, as shown in Figure 4, the adjusting bolt 19 is passed through one end wall of the jaw 11, if it has not already been passed therethrough, and the inner end passed into the pocket 20 of the block 13 and into operative engagement with that end of the block so that it the adjusting bolt 19 is rotated in one direction the block 13 and jaw 11 will have one relative movement, and if rotated in the opposite direction will have an opposite relative movement for the purpose of regulating the amount of slack in the system of brakes.

It will be understood that a brake lever ulcruin pin will be received in the bifurcations at the ends of the block arms 16, a brake lever ulcrumed on said pin and locking keys extend through the openings 21 for locking the fulcrum pin in position. The lever fulcrum pin and the brake lever, however, have not been shown, as they form no part of the present invention.

This slack adjuster comprises a plurality of relatively simple parts which are readily and simply assembled and Vrelatively ad-V position after being applied to saidV jaw tov retain said block therein. Y

2. A slack adjuster including,`in `combina- Y tion,.an adjuster jaw, and an adjuster'block having arms with'tlangeswhich cooperate with said jaw for maintaining said block in position with respectv to said jaw, said arms being movable into one position to permit passage of one of said langes during the application of said block to said jaw and said arms being movable into another position to place the flanges into cooperative association with said jaw.

3. A slack adjuster including, in combination, an adjuster jaw, and an adjuster block relatively'adjustable and guidedly mounted in said jaw, said block having spaced arms with flanges, the flanges on one of said arms extending substantially the length or' that arm and the lianges on the other arm being of less length, said arms being movable in one direction to permit the passage of the shorter flanges between portions or' the jaw member, whereupon the arms may be moved in another direction to place both sets of ianges into operative association with said jawmember orretaining the block'operatively within the latter.

4. A slack adjuster including, m combination, an adjuster jaw, and an adjuster block relatively adjustable and guidedly mounted in said jaw, said block having spaced arms with flanges, one of the flanges on one of said arms extending substantially the length thereof and'another of said flanges on the other arm being of less length,'said arms being movable in one direction to permit the passageof the shorter iiange between por tions of theV jaw member, whereupon the arms may be moved in another direction to place the ianges into operative association with said jaw member for retaining theV block operatively within the latter, and means for relatively adjusting said block and aw' member for varying the slack.

Signed at Hammond, Indiana, this'22nd day of J une, 1922. Y

LAWRENCE WV. BIEKER. 

